CVE-2024-23301: Relax-and-Recover · Incorrect Default Permissions
Source CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.5 Medium.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 21% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:NExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 12 Jan 2024
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
GitHubrear/rearpkg:github/rear/rearOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
AI-suggested
To mitigate this vulnerability, organizations should immediately audit the permissions of initrd images generated by ReaR, ensuring they are not world-readable. Specifically, restrict access to the initrd file to root or administrative users only (e.g., chmod 600). Review and disable the GRUB_RESCUE=y option if not strictly necessary, as this triggers the insecure behavior. Monitor and control local user access to systems running ReaR to minimize the risk of unauthorized local exploitation. Stay informed about vendor updates or patches addressing this issue and apply them promptly once available. Additionally, implement file integrity monitoring on critical boot files and secrets to detect unauthorized access or changes. Employ strict access controls and user privilege management to limit the number of users who can access local systems. Finally, conduct regular security audits and penetration tests focusing on local privilege escalation vectors to identify and remediate similar issues.
Description
Relax-and-Recover (aka ReaR) through 2.7 creates a world-readable initrd when using GRUB_RESCUE=y. This allows local attackers to gain access to system secrets otherwise only readable by root.
References
- github.com/rear/rear/issues/3122 (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/rear/rear/pull/3123 (opens in a new tab)
- lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/02/msg00003.html (opens in a new tab)
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/7JIN57LUPBI2GDJOK3PYXNHJTZT3AQTZ/ (opens in a new tab)
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/UHKMPXJNXEJJE6EVYE5HM7EKEJFQMBN7/ (opens in a new tab)
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/7JIN57LUPBI2GDJOK3PYXNHJTZT3AQTZ/ (opens in a new tab)
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/UHKMPXJNXEJJE6EVYE5HM7EKEJFQMBN7/ (opens in a new tab)
- lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/12/msg00011.html (opens in a new tab)